Optical fiber communication systems are rapidly being commercialized. Essentially all such systems require means for catenating fibers, and such means will be referred to herein as connectors.
The industry has expended a substantial effort to develop fiber connectors, and this effort has resulted in disclosure of a variety of connector types. One of these types, to be referred to as the continuous groove connector, comprises fiber-receiving grooves in a substantially plane substrate, with pairs of fibers to be connected placed end to end into the grooves, and maintained therein by a cover member. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,912,571 and 4,028,162, both co-assigned with this, disclose respectively a continuous groove connector and a method for splicing fiber by means of the connector. U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,301, also coassigned with this, incorporated herein by reference, discloses a continuous groove connector with vacuum slots.
Optical fiber connectors typically are expected to meet several demanding criteria. Among these are low loss and good thermal stability, i.e., little added loss due to temperature changes. Other criteria of interest are rapid and easy assembly requiring little skill, and low cost. Among the above criteria, at least achievement of thermal stability has proven problematical in prior art continuous groove connectors.
Because connectors of the continuous groove type are potentially very desirable for a variety of applications, especially for splicing ribbon cables, a continuous groove connector that has good thermal stability, while also possessing the other desirable characteristics referred to above, would be of substantial interest. This application discloses such a connector.